Rack for bottles and cans

ABSTRACT

An open top rack for receiving bottles and/or cans to be maintained under refrigeration within an upwardly opening refrigeration compartment such as that conventionally found behind a bar or counter area, together with a specifically designed refrigeration cabinet in which one or more racks may be positioned and supported for vertical shifting therein. The cabinet includes an upper door which may be opened for access to the bottles or cans supported within the associated rack from the above and also a side door through which a rack to be supported in elevated position within the refrigeration cabinet may be placed within the latter. A hand truck may also be provided for transporting a rack, when full, from a storage area to the associated refrigeration cabinet. The cabinet includes rack supporting and elevating structure whereby after placement of an associated rack within the cabinet in a lower position therein the rack may be elevated upwardly in the cabinet into position for ease in dispensing bottles or cans from the rack through the top door opening of the cabinet.

United States Patent n 1 Walter 1 Sept. 18, 1973 RACK FOR BOTTLES ANl)CANS [76] Inventor: Glennon P. Walter, R.F.D. l,

Perryville, Mo. 63775 [22] Filed: Sept. 29,1971

[21] Appl. No.: 184,779

[52] US. Cl. 312/312, 312/290 [51] Int. Cl. A47b 51/00, A47b 81/00 [58]Field of Search 312/312, 351, 247, 312/249, 272, 272.5; 108/145, 148

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 677,624 7/1901 Beckwith211/151 X 1,668,781 5/1928 Pierce 312/312 X 2,549,664 4/1951 Collins312/319 X 2,717,085 9/1955' Waddington... 312/312 UX 1,747,750 2/1930Beatty 312/312 2,495,046 1/1950 Wolters 312/312 526,144 9/1894 Carver312/312 2,093,856 9/1937 Wales 312/312 2,276,711 3/1942 Bilde 312/27252,181,406 11/1939 Madden..... 312/312 X 2,445,394 7/1948 Glralt 312/312X Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney-John A. Mawhinney [57]ABSTRACT An open top rack for receiving bottles and/or cans to bemaintained under refrigeration within an upwardly opening refrigerationcompartment such as that conventionally found behind a bar or counterarea, together with a specifically designed refrigeration cabinet inwhich one or more racks may be positioned and supported for verticalshifting therein. The cabinet includes an upper door which may be openedfor access to the bottles or cans supported within the associated rackfrom the above and also a side door through which a rack to be supportedin elevated position within the refrigeration cabinet may be placedwithin the latter. A hand truck may also be provided for transporting arack, when full, from a storage area to the associated refrigerationcabinet. The cabinet includes rack supporting and elevating structurewhereby after placement of an associated rack within the cabinet in alower position therein the rack may be elevated upwardly in the cabinetinto position for ease in dispensing bottles or cans from the rackthrough the top door opening of the cabinet.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SHEEI 1 Bf 2 PATENTED8EP'8'975 Glenna/7 P.Walter INVENTOR ATTORNEY PATENTEDSEPI 81973 37595 sum 2 or 2 Fig. 2 7/ I[a INVENTOR Glen/ran A Waller ATTORNEY RACK FOR BOTTLES AND CANS Thecabinet and rack supporting and elevating structure of the instantinvention has been specifically designed to provide a means whereby arack full of bottles and cans to be maintained under refrigeration maybe readily placed and elevated within a refrigeration cabinet. Byproviding such device a large percentage of the otherwise requiredphysical effort involved in placing a rack loaded with bottles or canswithin an open top refrigeration unit is eliminated and the operator ofan establishment which manually vends canned or bottled beverages froman open-top refrigeration cabinet need not be required to exertexcessive physical effort in the process of replenishing the supply ofbottled and canned beverages within the refrigerator cabinet from whichthey are manually vended.

The main object of this invention is to provide a system whereby a rackcontaining bottles and cans of beverages may be readily transported to,placed within and elevated into position adjacent the open top of achest type refrigeration cabinet.

Another object of this invention is to provide an assemblage inaccordance with the preceding object and constructed in a manner wherebyno mechanical knowledge and very little manual dexterity is required.

A final object of this invention is to provide an assemblage of the typeset forth which will conform .to the conventional forms of manufacture,be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device thatwill be economically feasible, of long life and relatively trouble free.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter,- and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views.

FIG. I is a fragmentary perspective view of a refrigeration cabinetconstructed in accordance with the present invention and with a bottleand can rack supported in elevated position within one compartment ofthe refrigerated cabinet;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one sectionof the refrigeration cabinet with the bottle and can rack supporting anelevating components of the invention operatively associated andillustrated in alternate positions by phantom lines;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section view takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section view takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rack elevating structure of theinvention; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view illustratingthe adjacent ratchet dog component of adjacent sections of therefrigeration cabinet by which associated bottle and can supportingracks may be removably supported in adjusted elevated position withinthe cabinet.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10generally designates a conventional form of chest type refrigerationcabinet, including longitudinally spaced individual sections I2 in whichracks of cans and bottles to be maintained under refrigeration may bereceived.

Each section of the cabinet 10 includes an open rear wall 14 closed bymeans of a removable wall 16 and an open top wall portion 18 removablyclosed by means of a slidable top door 20. Conventionally, racks orother containers of bottles or cans to be maintained under refrigerationare admitted into the cabinet 10 through the open top wall portions 18after which the doors 20 are placed in their closed positions. Then thebottles or cans maintained under refrigeration within the cabinet 10 maybe withdrawn from the latter through the open top wall portions ll8after the top walls 20 have been slid to their open positions. However,it may be readily observed from FIG. 1 of the drawings that a racksupported in the bottom of the section 12 is disposed at an elevationconsiderably below the lowermost portion of the open top wall portion 18and therefore that a person wishing to dispense a refrigerated can orbottle from the cabinet 10 must reach far down into the latter in orderto withdraw the desired can or bottle.

In the instant invention, however, the cabinet 10 is specificallydesigned to include the open rear walls 14 and the removable walls 16.Further, racks 22 are provided for the sections 12 and may be adjustablysupported within the upper portions of the sections 12 by means ofpivoted ratchet dogs 24 supported from the side wall portions of thesections 12, (FIG. 6). In this manner, a can or bottle to be vended froma rack 22 may be readily grasped by a person behind the cabinet 10through the corresponding open top wall portion 18 after the top door 20has been slid to its open position with the ambient light morecompletely illuminating the rack 22 and its contents for ease inlocating a specific bottle or can supported therein in the event bottlesand cans of different material are supported from the same rack 22.

The cabinet 10 includes double partition wall defining straps 26 betweenadjacent sections 12 and each partition wall 26 includes a plurality ofvertically spaced openings 28 formed therethrough and arranged in frontand rear rows of openings 28. Each opening 28 has one of thespring-urged pivoted ratchet dogs 24 operatively associated therewithwhereby the outer triangular portion 30 including an inclined camsurface 32 and a horizontal abutment surface 34 may be swung from theoperative-limited position illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 6 of thedrawings, laterally outwardly of the associated section 12, to theretracted phantomline position illustrated in the lower right-handportion of FIG. 6. Each of the racks 22 includes a full length doubleflanged detent bracket 36 including upper and lower flanges 38 and 40for engagement with the corresponding ratchet dogs 24 and accordingly,it may be seen that engagement of the four front and rear opposite sidedetentbrackets 36 of each rack 22 with corresponding pivoted ratchetdogs 24 result in the rack 22 being supported in adjustedelevatedposition relative to the bottom of the section 12 of the cabinet 10.

The cabinet 10 is further distinguished from conventional cabinets inthat the lower portion of each section 12 a pair of opposite sideupstanding central mounting plates 42 are, provided, the plates 42 eachhaving a plurality of variously vertically spaced apertures 44. Further,each side of each compartment or section 12 includes a pair of inclinedrail defining straps 46 pivotally secured to structural members of thecabinet 10 at their rear ends as at 48 and adjustably secured to thecorresponding mounting plate 42 at their forward ends as at 50 by anysuitable removable fasteners.

In addition, a mechanical lift device referred to in generaly by thereference numeral 52 is provided in each section 12 of the cabinet andeach lift device includes an L-shaped frame having a generallyrectangular upstanding rear portion 54 and a pair of horizontally andforwardly projecting arms 56 carried by the lower end of the rearportion 54. Each rear portion 54 consists of a pair of generallyparallel uprights 58 interconnected at their upper ends by means of across member 60 extending and secured therebetween and at their lowerends by means of a lower cross member 62 extending and secured betweenthe lower ends of the uprights 58. The arms 56 are secured to andproject forwardly from the lower ends of the uprights 58 and areprovided with inwardly projecting lifting pins 64 at their forward freeends and outer side grooved wheels 66 at their rear ends.

The grooved wheels 66 are rollingly engaged with the upper edge portionsof the traps 46 for movement therealong and disposed within each section12 is an elevator assembly referred to in general by the referencenumeral 68 with which the lift pins 64 are engaged.

Each elevator assembly 68 includes an upstanding rectangular frame 70,see FIG. 3, including pairs of opposite side upper and lower flangedwheels 72 and the wheels 72 are received in opposite side guide slots 74defined between pairs of opposite side angle brackets 76 secured withinthe rear portion of each section 12. Also, the straps comprising thepartition walls 26 are secured between the corresponding opposite sideupper and lower members 71 and 73 of each frame 70 and thus thepartition walls 26 do not prevent free circulation of air in thecabinet. Further, the angle brackets 76 are vertically disposed forguiding the elevator assembly along a vertical path within the section12 and the elevator assembly further includes a pair of lowerhorizontally projecting lift arms 78 which project toward the open rearwall 14 and rotatably journal a plurality of slightly spacedside-by-side rollers 80 between their free ends. Also, the lift pins 64are joumaled through the mid portions of the lift arms 78 whereby themanual lifting device (normally recessed within the section 12) may haveits uprights 58 oscillated from vertical positions to the positionsillustrated in solid lines in FIG. 2 of the drawings in order tointially elevate the elevator assembly 68 from its lowest position tothe solid line position thereof illustrated in FIG. 2

and further swinging of the manual lift device 52 to the phantom-lineposition illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings will raise the elevatorassembly 68 to its uppermost position illustrated in phantom-lines inFIG. 2 of the drawings, which uppermost position may be adjusted bychanging the inclination of the straps 46. Of course, any rack 22supported from an elevator assembly 68 may be elevated thereby.

In operation a plurality of racks 22 may be stored in a suitable coolerwith bottles or cans of beverages dispposed therein. Then, when a rackwithin the section 12 has its supply of bottles or cans depleted, anysuitable cart may be utilized to transport a second rack 22 from thecooler to a position in substantial horizontal registry with the rollers80 of one of the elevator assemblies 68 within a section 12. Such a cartmay also include rollers corresponding to the rollers of the elevatorassembly 68 and therefore the full rack 22 of bottles or cans may berolled from the cart onto the rollers of the elevator assembly 68 whenit is in its lowered position. After the new rack 22 has been positionedon the elevator assembly 68 wholly within the section 12, the manuallift device 52 may be utilized to cam the elevator assembly 68 upwardlywith the new rack 22 disposed thereon until the new rack 22 abuts theold empty rack disposed thereabove and elevates the latter into aposition for easy removalthrough the top wall portion 18 of the cabinet10 after the top panel 20 has been slid to the open position. Also, eachempty rack 22 may be removed from the cabinet 10 through the rear wall14 when the door 16 is removed by rearwardly sliding the rack 22 on theflanges 38 thereof supported from the corresponding ratchet dogs 24.Thereafter, the manual lifting device 52 may be further elevated inorder to elevate the new rack 22 toward its uppennost position for eachin removal of bottles and cans therefrom through the top wall portion18. Thereafter, the manual lifting device 52 may be swung back to itsstored upright position within the section 12 and with sufficientvertical spacing between the lower extremity of the newly elevated rack22 and the rollers 80 to receive the next new rack 22 on the elevatorassembly 68 when it again becomes necessary to replenish the support ofbottles and/or cans within the section 12.

Of course, as each rack 22 is elevated within the section 12, thepivoted ratchet dogs 24 are successively engaged by the detent bracket36 in order that the rack 22 may be supported in adjusted elevatedposition within the section 12 against a downward movement therein andyet in a manner in which the rack 22 may be freely elevated within thesection 12.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known tome at this time. I reserve the right to all such modifications andchanges as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What 1 claim is:

1. In combination, a cabinet defining a vertically extending storagesection open at its top and including upright track means and a sidewall having an opening formed therein opening into a lower portion ofthe interior of said cabinet section, support means mounted within saidcabinet and including follower means operatively engaged with said trackmeans for free guided vertical shifting of said support means withinsaid cabinet between upper and lower positions therein, a rackhorizontally movable through said opening and removably positionable onsaid support means when the latter is in its lower position, movableupwardly in said cabinet with said support means upon raising the lattertoward said upper position and upwardly removable from said supportmeans through said open top after said support means has been elevatedabove said lower position, said support means including rollersjoumalled therefrom for rotation about axes generally paralleling theplane of said opening and operable to at least partially rollinglysupport said rack during its movement through said opening onto saidsupport means, fulcrum lever means supported from said cabinet foroscillation between first and second positions and operativelyassociated with said support means for shifting the latter between saidupper and lower positions in response to movement of said lever meansbetween said first and second positions, respectively, said cabinet andrack including coacting ratchet means operable to allow free upwardmovement of said rack in said storage section upon upward movement ofsaid support means from said lower position toward said upper positionand further operative to prevent downward movement of said rack belowpredetermined vertically spaced positions in said cabinet section aftersaid rack has been elevated, by said support means, above saidpredetermined positions.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said ratchet means includeshorizontally outwardly projecting opposite side portions defined on saidrack and upstanding rows of vertically spaced spring biased ratchet dogssupported from said cabinet on opposite sides of said storage sectionengageableby said opposite side portions of said rack.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cabinet includes oppositeside generally horizontal rails inclined slightly upwardly and away fromsaid opening,

said fulcrum lever comprising an L-shaped frame including opposite sideportions each consisting of a long upright and a shorter generallyhorizontal arm projecting inwardly of said cabinet section from thelower end of the corresponding upright, the free ends of said arms beingpivotally attached to opposite side portions of said support means andthe opposite side portions of said frame, adjacent the junctures of saiduprights and arms, including journalled wheels rollingly engaged withsaid rails.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said rails and cabinet includemeans for adjustably varying the incline of said rails. I

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cabinet comprises arefrigeration cabinet provided with a top door for closing said open topand a side door for closing said opening in said side wall.

1. In combination, a cabinet defining a vertically extending storage section open at its top and including upright track means and a side wall having an opening formed therein opening into a lower portion of the interior of said cabinet section, support means mounted within said cabinet and including follower means operatively engaged with said track means for free guided vertical shifting of said support means within said cabinet between upper and lower positions therein, a rack horizontally movable through said opening and removably positionable on said support means when the latter is in its lower position, movable upwardly in said cabinet with said support means upon raising the latter toward said upper position and upwardly removable from said support means through said open top after said support means has been elevated above said lower position, said support means including rollers journalled therefrom for rotation about axes generally paralleling the plane of said opening and operable to at least partially rollingly support said rack during its movement through said opening onto said support means, fulcrum lever means supported from said cabinet for oscillation between first and second positions and operatively associated with said support means for shifting the latter between said upper and lower positions in response to movement of said lever means between said first and second positions, respectively, said cabinet and rack including coacting ratchet means operable to allow free upward movement of said rack in said storage section upon upward movement of said support means from said lower position toward said upper position and further operative to prevent downward movement of said rack below predetermined vertically spaced positions in said cabinet section after said rack has been elevated, by said support means, above said predetermined positions.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said ratchet means includes horizontally outwardly projecting opposite side portions defined on said rack and upstanding rows of vertically spaced spring biased ratchet dogs supported from said cabinet on opposite sides of said storage section engageable by said opposite side portions of said rack.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cabinet includes opposite side generally horizontal rails inclined slightly upwardly and away from said opening, said fulcrum lever comprising an L-shaped frame including opposite side portions each consisting of a long upright and a shorter generally horizontal arm projecting inwardly of said cabinet section from the lower end of the corresponding upright, the free ends of said arms being pivotally attached to opposite side portions of said support means and the opposite side portions of said frame, adjacent the junctures of said uprights and arms, including journalled wheels rollingly engaged with said rails.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said rails and cabinet include means for adjustably varying the incline of said rails.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cabinet comprises a refrigeration cabinet provided with a top door for closing said open top and a side door for closing said opening in said side wall. 